The Tradition of Italian Politics - Not Those of Rick
Santorum
Rick Santorum's Communist Clan in Italy
Back in Italy, the ultraconservative has a family
full of liberals and communists
by Barbie Latza Nadeau
The Daily Beast
January 11, 2012
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/11/rick-santorum-s-italian-family-speaks-out.html
In the tiny town of Riva del Garda in northern Italy, 83-
year-old-Maria Malacarne Santorum keeps her family's secrets
- including those of her late husband's cousin, Rick. In an
exclusive interview with the Italian weekly magazine Oggi,
Mrs. Santorum recalls fondly when Rick visited her in 1985
during his law internship in Florence, and when he came back
again in 1986 and 1989. "He loved our culture and cuisine so
much, he brought his wife-to-be, Karen, a massive cookbook
of Italian recipes," she said.
But the elder Santorum matriarch doesn't understand why he
has diverged so far from the family's longtime political
stance. "In Riva del Garda his grandfather Pietro and uncles
were `red communists' to the core," writes Oggi journalist
Giuseppe Fumagalli, likening the family to "Peppone" after a
famous fictional Italian communist mayor who fought against
an ultraconservative priest known as Don Cammillo and about
which a popular television series is based. "But on the
other side of the ocean, it's like his family here doesn't
exist. Instead he draws crowds as the head of the
ultraconservative faction of the Republican party, against
divorce, gay marriage, abortion, and immigration."
Those politics don't play well in Riva del Garda, a
community of ultraliberals. On the campaign trail, Santorum
often touts his grandfather's flight from Italy "to escape
fascism," but he has neglected to publicly mention their
close ties with the Italian Communist Party. "Rick's
grandfather Pietro was a liberal man and he understood right
away what was happening in Italy," Mrs. Santorum told Oggi.
"He was anti-fascist to the extreme, and the political
climate in 1925 was stifling so he left for America. After a
few years he returned to Italy with his wife and children,
including Aldo, Rick's father, who passed away late last
year. It's a shame he won't have the joy to see his son's
success in his bid for the White House." She goes on to
explain how the family then became pillars of the Communist
Party in Italy.
"There are Santorums who would roll over in their
graves to hear [Rick's] rhetoric."
The matriarch lauds her distant relative as a "masterpiece"
of the family, whom she calls a man of high intelligence and
integrity. "He would be a great president," she told Oggi.
"But if he wants to make it, he will have to soften some of
his positions. To take a stand against homosexuality or to
oppose divorce is harmful. Principles count, but in politics
one must have the capacity to be open-minded."
The Oggi piece also quotes an angry cousin who preferred to
voice his dissent anonymously, remembering the time when
high-ranking Communist Party members frequented the Santorum
household in Riva del Garda. "There are Santorums who would
roll over in their graves to hear [Rick's] rhetoric," he
said.
But the rest of the family seems content to turn a blind eye
to their American cousin's political persuasion. One cousin,
Michela Santorum, told Oggi that she fondly remembers Rick's
interest in his Italian heritage, and especially Italian
cuisine. "We were always astonished at how many ice cubes he
put in his drinks," Michela told Oggi. "But he loved
everything else, including polenta."
According to Oggi, the general sentiment is that the Italian
Santorums will forgive their American cousin if his bid is
successful. "When he wins, he will send the American
presidential airplane and take all the Santorums to the
White House," Bruno Santorum told the magazine.
But after Santorum's loss in New Hampshire and his recent
slump in the polls, the question of whether he would bring
his communist cousins to his ultraconservative White House
may never be tested.
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[Barbie Latza Nadeau, author of the Beast Book Angel Face,
about Amanda Knox, has reported from Italy for Newsweek
since 1997 and for The Daily Beast since 2009. She is a
frequent contributor to CNN Traveller, Departures,
Discovery, and Grazia. She appears regularly on CNN, the
BBC, and NPR.]
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